I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 45-48.

    Today’s passage is a record of prophecies which Jeremiah made earlier in time than the things recorded in yesterday’s passage. It starts with a message for Baruch, who assisted Jeremiah in many ways throughout his ministry. It appears that Baruch was an ambitious man. Jeremiah tells Baruch to put aside his ambitions because the future which would soon arrive would not provide an opportunity for Baruch to become accomplish great things. However, God promised Baruch through Jeremiah that He would preserve his life throughout all of the coming disruptions. I suspect that God’s word for Baruch is his word for all of us, although the reasons may be different. We should not seek great things for ourselves. Rather we should seek to bring honor to God in all that we do.

    While Jehoiakim, who had been put on the throne by the Pharaoh, was king, Jeremiah prophesied against Egypt. It seems likely that this prophecy was a warning to Jehoiakim against counting on Egypt to defend Jerusalem against Babylon. While Nebuchadnezzar did not completely conquer Egypt, he did invade it far enough to fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecies about that event. Jeremiah also prophesied that the Philistines and the Moabites would be invaded and destroyed as nations. He said that the Philistines would cease to exist, but that Moab would be restored in the future. The Philistine people did cease to be a distinct ethnic group shortly after this, while the Moabites were still a people when the Jewish Exiles returned.